September 20, 2010 -- The City Council last Tuesday voted 5-1
to support a development agreement with a cancer drug research and development
company. The agreement with Agensys Inc. will allow the company to centralize
its five Santa Monica facilities (three existing and two planned) into
one 153,000-square-foot building on a City-owned Stewart Street property
near Olympic Boulevard and Bergamot Station, where the Expo Light Rail
Station will be located.

Mayor Bobby Shriver cast the lone dissenting vote. He said the City was
not getting a good enough deal, including Agensys’ refusal to guarantee
it will hire Santa Monica residents. Bicycle advocates were also upset
because the project does not include a bike path through the property.
The company agreed to put money toward bicycle infrastructure improvements.

“I think this is a real asset to our community to bring a business
like this (and) give them not only the opportunity to remain in the community,
but to grow within the community,” Council member Gleam Davis said.

She continued, “I think that one of the things that has helped
this community get through these difficult economic times is the fact
that we have a diversified economy. And one of the things we don’t
have a lot of in Santa Monica … is biotech industry.”

Since this is a development agreement, Agensys must provide “public
benefits” to the City. Among the benefits in the agreement are a
pedestrian path, pedestrian café, 5,100-square-foot public open
space, widened sidewalk along Stewart Street, traffic demand management
program, sculpture garden, a job fair and an internship program.

Agensys and City officials said the desired bike path was not possible.
The company will put up more than $70,000 for bicycle infrastructure improvements
at Bergamot Station and another $20,000 for analysis and possible implementation
of bike lanes or paths near the project site. Council member Kevin McKeown,
a vocal bicycle advocate, said this was a good compromise. Others disagreed.

“With this Agensys process, we are learning about social justice
denied,” said Barbara Filet of the bicycle advocacy group Santa
Monica Spoke. “It is the tyranny of the auto-driving majority over
the bicycle minority. The liability and safety concerns are a smokescreen.”

The project site is currently under lease by Lionstone Group, a real
estate investment firm. Agensys will pay an undisclosed sum to Lionstone
to take over the lease. Shriver said the City is giving Agensys a financial
benefit by allowing the company to take over the lease at a market rate
because the property could instead be used for a municipal purpose once
the lease expires with Lionstone.

Shriver said the City was not getting a good enough deal in return.
He was also bothered that Agensys officials several times mentioned how
they are working to find cancer cures when talking about the project.
He called this “cancer-washing.”

“With all due respect to that laudable goal, I don’t think
it’s fair to come to your partner in the deal, which is what we
are since we own the land, and say, ‘Because we’re curing
cancer and you’re not, you should give us all the money,’
which is effectively what is being said to us,” Shriver said.

He also blasted the fact that although Agensys will have a job fair,
it will not guarantee the hiring of local employees. Agensys attorney
Dale Goldsmith said the company will make an effort to hire locals, but
he said a guarantee could not be made since most of the jobs are highly
technical, including those involving janitorial work because of the requirements
involved in the biotech field.

Several council members agreed with Goldsmith on this issue, and Council
member Richard Bloom noted that Agensys already has many employees who
are Santa Monica residents. Council member Bob Holbrook sided with Shriver.

“Frankly, I’m disappointed that you couldn’t reserve
one job … promise one job for a Santa Monica person,” he said.

The council must approve the agreement on a second reading at its meeting
on Sept. 27. The lease must also be finalized. Agensys officials said
they expect the project will be completed by the end of 2012.

“I
think that one of the things that has helped this community get through
these difficult economic times is the fact that we have a diversified
economy. And one of the things we don’t have a lot of in Santa Monica
… is biotech industry.”
Gleam Davis, Council member

“With
all due respect to that laudable goal, I don’t think it’s
fair to come to your partner in the deal, which is what we are since we
own the land, and say, ‘Because we’re curing cancer and you’re
not, you should give us all the money,’ which is effectively what
is being said to us,”
Mayor Bobby Shriver